Raymon Anton Reifer, ‘Ray’, 25, from Archer’s Road, St. Lucy, Barbados, son of Elvis Reifer (former West Indies cricketer), cousin of Floyd Reifer (also former West Indies cricketer), and father to 10-month-old Zakhai Reifer, is the newest member of the West Indies senior men’s team.

Raymon is a left-handed batsman and left-arm medium fast bowler, and is a member of the Wanderers Cricket Club. The predominantly left-handed, pasta-loving, nature lover started playing cricket as a 5-year-old, and has since played for Wanderers, Ellerslie Secondary, the Combined Campuses and Colleges (CCC), St. Kitts and Nevis Patriots, Guyana Jaguars, Barbados Tridents and the West Indies ‘A’ team before his most recent assignment.

Cricket West Indies (CWI) chairman of selectors, Courtney Browne, says “Raymon adds variety to our attack with his left-arm swing bowling and has proven to be very useful with the bat in the lower order. He adds value to our team and could be very useful in English conditions.” Reifer took 36 wickets (BBM: 6/83) and made 445 runs in 9 matches in the 2016/17 season of the Professional Cricket League (PCL).

Raymon Reifer

The West Indies Players’ Association (WIPA) caught up with Ray shortly after his inclusion in the West Indies squad for the tour of England:

Q: How does it feel to be a part of the squad?

Raymon: It feels good to be a part of the squad. I always wanted to represent the nation of West Indies; it’s a childhood dream.

Q: What has it been like so far being among the team?

Raymon: I’m just enjoying being a part of the squad at the moment. It requires a lot more discipline, but I’m looking forward to the challenges that come along with being in the senior team.

Q: Which player has surprised you most so far and why?

Raymon: Jermaine Blackwood; just how positive he is – and it shows in his cricket.

Q: What are your goals for the tour?

Raymon: My goal for the tour is to be the best I can be and contribute to the team winning. Obviously it’s my first taste of international cricket, so I’m just looking to hit the ground running and putting in some solid performances.

Q: How prepared are you to make an impact?

Raymon: I’m looking forward to making an impact in every possible way I can. I have been working really hard on the basics and just making sure I’m ready mentally for anything that comes in front of me.

Q: What can we expect from you?

Raymon: You can definitely expect 110% in every possible way.

Q: How are the conditions?

Raymon: It is a bit cold at the moment, but these are the perfect conditions to test your skills as a cricketer.

Q: So how do you plan to prepare for or adjust to the conditions?

Raymon: I just plan to embrace it and try to play the ball under my eyes and challenge the batsmen with the ball in my hand.

Q: Finally, are you getting enough pasta? J

Raymon: I haven’t had any pasta on tour as yet, but definitely looking forward to having a nice chicken pasta.

WIPA wishes Raymon all the best for the tour of England, as well as his career as a professional cricketer. We are looking forward to seeing that 110%.